Mistake
by Serpentine Goddess
Summary: Guardian Prue Halliwell has a very special charge...Chris Perry. Chris is hiding more than one secret. After Chris Crossed, Chris' identity secret still, but will be discovered.
1. Chapter One

**Mistake**

**Chapter One**

**A/N: This story takes place right after the episode_ Prince Charmed_. The CO's know that Chris is half-witch now but not much else about him. Unlike the episode, they did not take the revelation well.**

_

* * *

"His blood is spilt_

_His heart is wrought _

_His intentions good_

_Yet trust is lost._

_Let them feel as he felt._

_Let them see as he sought. _

_Let them know what he knew._

_Let them owe what they ought._

_They shall see what they must_

_To once more again trust. _

_Yet, as the magic which flows through his veins,_

_It keeps a deep secret_

_And so let it secret remain." _

She recited the spell in a tone which spoke of long experience, thinking hard of the person it was written for, and, when finished, crumpled the paper it was written on in a frustrated fist. It was simply ridiculous that she had to do this to begin with.

She was a Guardian. A protector. Yet, even in this time she couldn't keep her charge safe. Of course, it didn't help that her charge was rebellious by nature.

She had discouraged him from making this journey to the past. She had argued that he shouldn't compromise himself for people that had only made his life hell in his own time. It had taken a lot out of her to make this argument, but she had done it anyway. She couldn't stand the way he had been treated, regardless of those who had committed the acts against him.

He had, predictably, ignored her. She could do little to stop him. She existed only to guide and protect him, not manage his life and make decisions for him. So they had come here, to the past, where he was once again scorned and treated with little respect, despite all he had sacrificed to help.

Prue Halliwell, former witch and Charmed One, and current Guardian to Christopher Perry just sighed discontentedly and disappeared in a small flash of light, content now just to watch the effects of her spell take place.

* * *

Chis Perry, or, as he was more commonly known, the neurotic Whitelighter from the future, touched his bruised cheek and winced. The girls and Leo had not taken the fact that he was half-Witch well. Leo had been the most angry, hitting Chris roundly across the face, leaving the bruise which had now formed painfully unhealed.

Thinking back, Chris didn't know why he was so surprised that it had happened. Why should he have expected any sympathy? After all, it was only his fiancé that had just died by the hands of the child he had made so many sacrifices to protect.

The thought of Bianca only made Chris choke back a sob. She had been the love of his life. The only happiness in the dark future that Wyatt had destroyed with his constant struggle for power. And then, Wyatt had even managed to destroy that. Turning Bianca evil once more, only to send her after him, steal his powers, and take him back to the future.

The only thing that kept Chris from falling even deeper into despair was the fact that there was still hope. Bianca had died protecting Chris, saving his life so he could go back and finish what he started. Change the future for them and their love.

But when he had gotten back, thanks to a handy spell the sisters had placed under the floorboard, he was greeted only with anger and distrust.

_Flashback_

_Chris flew through the time portal, rolling on the ground and hitting his head hard. He winced and picked his head up, only to be met in the face with an angry fist. He flew backwards and flung his hand out, hoping to throw whatever demon was in the attic into a wall. He heard a thump and looked up with a satisfied face. _

_Instead, he was shocked to find Leo regaining his footing and taking a threatening step toward him once again. Chris closed his eyes disbelievingly and prepared himself for whatever Leo would do next. Thankfully, Phoebe placed a gentle hand over Leo's and got him to calm down. _

_Chris stood up and regarded them with weary eyes. _

_"You've got a lot of explaining to do," Piper said in an angry voice. Chris looked down. _

_"I know." _

_Piper snorted in disbelief. "You know Chris, if you had just been honest with us this wouldn't be a problem. You should have told us you were part-Witch from the start." _

_Chris stared at the ground. "I was afraid that you wouldn't trust me if you knew." _

_This time it was Phoebe who spoke. "Damn right, we wouldn't trust you. Hell Chris, we don't have any idea what kind of powers you have, you were engaged to a Phoenix Assassin Witch, and you've lied to us. How do we know you aren't some evil Witch, attempting to steal Wyatt for yourself?" _

_Chris looked up desperately. "No, no. That's not the way it is. You have to believe me. I came back only to help Wyatt, to save him." _

_Piper made an angry sound. "We don't need your help Chris. My son is perfectly fine and will remain so. I want you gone." _

_"I'm sorry," Chris muttered and orbed out. _

_Only Paige had remained quiet. _

_End Flashback_

Chris had orbed to his own personal safe place. An apartment he had kept secret from the sisters and maintained the rent for with the small amount of money had brought with him from the future. It was small, but nice enough for a single person who wasn't there very often, living at the club most of the time.

He cleaned up his face and then started on the rest of him, grimacing at the sight of Bianca's blood, which stained his skin and clothes. He pushed thoughts of her out of his head. Grieving wouldn't do him any good right now.

He put on clean clothes and, stumbling over to the bed, fell asleep. Memories of Bianca haunted his dreams, and he cried as he slept.

* * *

Paige shook her head, sighing angrily. She had not liked the way that her sisters and Leo had treated Chris when he had returned from the future. Couldn't they see the pain that he was in? He had just lost the love of his life. Even Phoebe, an empath, had ignored his obvious despair and badgered him.

"Come on Paige, he completely lied to us. He's not even really a Whitelighter," Phoebe was trying to convince Paige that they had been in the right and Paige wasn't having it. "Doesn't that make you angry?"

"Sure it does Pheebs, but he just watched his fiancé die, and we all just sat by and let Leo beat him up."

"It was one punch Paige, and he deserved it."

Paige held up her hand. "He did not deserve to come flying back from a future where the love of his life is killed right in front of him only to be greeted by Leo's fist and our accusations. I'm not saying that he doesn't deserve them at all, just not in that manner. After all, he saved our lives during that Titan thing. Doesn't that mean anything to you?"

This time it was Piper who grunted. "We saved his ass, all debts are repaid. He had his own agenda Paige. You need to accept that and move on. I severely doubt that we will be seeing him again anyway."

Paige was about to respond when all three of the sisters simultaneously felt a pain in their stomach, almost like they were being punched.

"What the hell was that?" Piper asked, holding her stomach which was now tender, though there were no marks to show that she had been wounded in any way.

Phoebe however wave her silent. "I'm feeling something. It's odd. It feels like fear and sadness..."

And then they all felt it. Paige felt tears on her face all of a sudden and realized she was crying for whoever felt this way. Piper looked stricken. That was when they heard the voice.

_"Damn it Chris," the voice was angry, and male. They heard a small whimper and realized it was Chris. "Can't you do anything right?" _

They heard a smack and all of them brought a hand to the back of their head where it now stung. They looked at each other wide eyed and then heard another thump. They felt a stinging all on their side. They winced.

_"You're a complete and utter failure," the voice was even angrier now. "Worse than that, you're a mistake. You never should have happened. You're worthless. Do you hear me? WORTHLESS!" _

They heard a crash, like glass and then felt a fire on the skin on their left hand, almost as though they had been cut open, though there were no marks to indicate that such a thing had actually happened.

_"I'm sorry daddy," this time the voice was young, small, and timid. It was obvious the boy had been crying. "I'm sorry." _

The girls all looked at each other, shocked, as the voices retreated, and the room eventually was cleared of all the suppressed emotions. Eventually, the pain too receded.

Paige found her voice first, wiping her wet face off first. The fear and the pain had just been far too real. "What was that do you think?"

Piper and Phoebe stared at each other and then Phoebe said, "I don't know. Do you think Chris is in trouble?"

"No," Paige answered quietly. "The voice sounded too young to be the Chris we know, but I'm willing to bet it was Chris, just at a much younger age."

"This could just be a trick you know," Piper said. "Perhaps Chris created some kind of fake memory or something and is trying to get us to feel sorry enough for him that we'll help him."

Phoebe snorted. "I say we summon him here and see for ourselves."

"Try to be gentle," Paige said. "If that memory was real, and he has nothing to do with us receiving it, then he actually experienced what happened and it might hurt him to be reminded of it."

"CHRIS!" Piper called. "CHRIS! WE NEED YOU!"

They waited for a few seconds and then shrugged. "Summoning spell?" Phoebe suggested and Paige nodded.

"Sounds good. You'd better set up a crystal cage in case he's not in the mood to talk."

Phoebe sat down for a couple minutes while her sisters made a crystal circle and wrote something out then nodded her head. "Looks workable. Here."

The three leaned over the paper and read,

_"We call to thee_

_We call you near_

_Future boy_

_We call you here." _

Paige looked at Phoebe disbelievingly. "Wow Pheebs, way to be respectful. Future boy?"

"Hey, how many people from the future can there be that are here right now?" Phoebe asked defensively.

Suddenly the air near the crystals shimmered and Chris appeared, swaying slightly on his feet.

The sisters gasped as they saw the physical manifestations of what they had felt earlier on Chris's body. His hand was cut open and bleeding, and his tank top displayed the fact that his entire side was bruised. He had his bleeding hand covering his stomach protectively, and the bruise Leo had given him earlier was displayed prominently on his face.

Paige felt tears spring to her eyes as she saw the feral expression that was hidden deep within the half-witch's otherwise emotionless green eyes. The feral expression which stemmed from a history of abuse and neglect, something she had seen often in the children she had met as a social worker.

She quickly moved forward and deactivated the crystal cage, not willing to keep such a person captive against there will. Chris gazed at her defensively and stayed where he was.

"What do you need?" he asked callously. "Why did you do this to me?"

The sisters eyes widened. He thought that _they_ had done it?

Paige moved forward. "Oh honey..."

"Don't call me that," he hissed finally moving, taking a step away from her. "Haven't you all done enough?"

Piper was about to respond when Chris suddenly hissed and dropped to his knees in pain. A few seconds later the sisters realized why as they felt the emotions from earlier enter the room again, and suddenly they heard the voices again.

_"I'm sorry mom," it was Chris's voice again, sounding older than last time they had heard it. "I didn't mean to. It was an accident." _

_A woman's voice, vaguely familiar, yet somehow masked answered him. "It's always an accident with you Christopher. You need to learn to take responsibility for your actions. Sometimes I think you're a failure." _

A smack sounded and the sisters winced as they saw the present Chris's face flush red and saw a hand print form.

_"You don't understand mom," Chris's voice was desperate. "It wasn't really my fault..." _

_The woman answered him harshly. "Suddenly changing your tune now Chris? Don't you dare try to pin this on your brother." _

_"But mom..."_

_"SHUT UP!" _

Chris was thrown backwards suddenly by some invisible force. He landed on his arm and it looked like it was now at an odd angle. The sisters all grimaced as they felt a somewhat muted form of the pain a few seconds later.

The attic began to empty of the emotions once again and the sisters felt the pain soon alleviate, Chris however lay in a heap and didn't move.

"Chris?" Piper asked tentatively, placing a gentle hand on his shoulder. He flinched back, then stood up, cradling his now obviously broken arm.

"Stay away from me," he said tightly, then regarded the sisters. "You need to find the demon who is doing this. Look for some kind of demon who reanimates memories or something."

Paige spoke softly. "I think we need to take care of you first. LEO! LEO! GET YOUR ELDER BUTT DOWN HERE!"

She waited but Leo didn't come. She sighed and Chris said bitterly, "He probably knows you're calling about me. He won't come."

Paige opened her mouth to say something but stopped when there was a flash of light and a woman appear. A woman with black hair and an extremely familiar face. Piper and Phoebe gasped as though they had seen a ghost. Which they had...in a manner of speaking. Paige realized why a few minutes later. This woman was-somehow-Prue. The older sister she had never met.


	2. Chapter Two

**Chapter Two**

**A/N: I made a mistake in the first chapter. This story takes place after the events of Chris-Crossed, not after Prince Charmed. Thank you all for your approval of my story and your wonderful reviews.

* * *

**

Chris seemed to be the only one not surprised to see her. "I was wondering where you were," he said, mumbling slightly.

Prue didn't match his bitter tone, placing a kind hand on his shoulder which he surprisingly didn't reject. "Chris, I am so sorry. This is all my fault."

Chris smirked. "Somehow I doubt that. Unless you said a spell or something to put me in this condition."

Prue winced. "Actually...yeah I did."

Chris's eyes widened and he quickly shrugged her hand off. He backed away from her, looking as though she had done something he might never forgive. "How _could_ you?" he whispered. "How could you do such a thing? You've jeopardized everything? Do you realize that? _Everything_!"

Prue shivered in the face of her charges wrath. "I did it _for _you Chris. It wasn't supposed to happen like this. You weren't supposed to feel it at all. _It wasn't supposed to affect you_. It was only supposed to happen to them. I wanted them to understand. I just wanted to help."

Chris shook his head. "Yeah you helped alright." He eyed his injuries and met Prue's eyes with an angry tear-filled gaze of his own. "You've brought it all back."

He orbed out, and Prue moaned, putting her hands over her face. Her sisters, who had been staring at her all this time in blatant shock snapped out of their daze suddenly in the face of Chris' sudden disappearance.

"Prue..." Piper said quietly, almost disbelievingly. Reaching a hand out to touch her. Prue jerked back, out of her reach.

"Piper," she said in a hard voice. She nodded towards Paige and Phoebe. "Phoebe, Paige."

Piper grew colder at her sister's tone. "What are you doing here Prue?"

Prue looked at them warily. "I am a Guardian," she said. "Chris' Guardian."

The three living Charmed One's looked confused. "Ask Leo. I'm sure he could tell you," Prue said, waving off their inevitable questions. "I have more important to things to attend to."

A bright light flashed and Prue disappeared.

The three took a second to snap out of their shock once again and then took their dead sister's advice. "Leo," Piper called. "LEO! Get your elder ass down here."

Leo orbed in, looking extremely peeved. "Piper, you can not just keep doing this. I am not your Whitelighter anymore..."

Piper cut him off. "What's a Guardian?"

Leo blinked, surprised. "Guardians are like whitelighters except instead of being mortals during life, Guardians were witches. They travel by a method called 'shining' and, though they no longer possess their active Wiccan gifts, they are still able to cast spells and make potions. Unlike Whitelighters, they are not a constant in their charges lives. They are not supposed to directly interfere except in extraneous situations. They are only supposed to guide and monitor. They are also not able to heal. Why are you asking me this?"

"We met Chris' Guardian," Piper began, but Leo cut her off.

"Chris has a Guardian? Are you serious? Only very powerful witches are granted Guardians. How do you know it was his?"

"If you would let me finish," Piper snapped. "Chris' Guardian is Prue."

Leo's eyes widened, alarmed. "Chris' Guardian is a former Charmed One? He required that powerful a Guardian? This isn't good."

"Yeah, and she didn't seem to fond of us present Charmed Ones either," Phoebe said in response. "What do you mean it isn't good that Chris has a powerful Guardian? And she wasn't following that rule of non-interference very well either."

Leo groaned. "You don't understand. A Guardian is a special type of protector who watches over those who have a large amount of power and the potential to be corrupted. You see, most witches have the tendency to be good, but, if exposed to evil to much and possess too weak a will, they can be turned. Guardians watch over the balance. But when a witch is turned, their Guardian is also affected and turned. And if Chris is evil, it would explain Prue's negative reaction to you three."

Paige was indecisive. "Neither of them seemed evil to me. Chris just seemed young, scared, and hurt."

"Hurt?" Leo questioned.

"Yeah," Phoebe said, nodding. "Prue cast a spell. To make us feel what he felt, help us understand him, except it obviously backfired and affected him too."

"Except now I'm more confused," Piper said, her sisters nodding in agreement. "Prue's spell worked, but it also affected Chris, physically and emotionally, even more so than us. We could feel what happened, but to him it actually happened, both in the past and in the present."

"This isn't good," Leo said, not exactly sure what was going on, but knowing that they had a situation on their hands.

The room got that feeling again and the sisters tensed, aware now that they would be experiencing one of Chris' memories. Leo just regarded them in confusion.

"_Why do you keep fighting me Chris?" It was a man's voice, soft and sinister. "You've nothing to gain by refusing me and everything to lose." _

_Chris' breathing came, sharp rasps, but his answer was strong. He sounded slightly younger than he presently was. _

"_You are a monster. I will never be like you. My family..."_

"_Is dead," the man interrupted. "Most of them anyway. And they never loved you anyway. You were the forgotten one, the **mistake**. They didn't care about you in life and they don't care about you in death." _

"_You're wrong," Chris shouted. "You're WRONG!" _

_The man was addressing someone else now. "Take him to the Underworld. A few days of punishment down there should be enough for any Whitelighter to 'see the light.'" _

"_Yes m'lord." _

Fear emanated through the room then slowly dissipated.

Paige wiped at the tears which had formed in her eyes. "Well, at least we know he wasn't evil then. Of course, who knows what happened to him, what kind of punishment he had to endure, what it did to him?"

"It made him stronger," a new voice answered.

Prue was back, her eyes compassionate now. Her gaze was soft on Paige.

"How do we know we can trust you Prue?" Piper asked. "No offense, but you are his Guardian. If he had turned, you would have as well."

Prue lay her hands on the book. Piper shook her head, unconvinced. "The book can be tricked, and you're a family member. We've learned that the hard way."

Prue groaned. "This is the whole reason I cast the spell. You don't give Chris any credit for all he's done for you. But this can't go on any longer. Chris should not have been affected like that, we have to stop the spell."

Phoebe shook her head this time. "The spell won't end until it's run its course. You know that honey."

"Chris has experienced things no person should ever have to experience," Prue argued. "Some of them were life-threatening. If he is forced to be reminded of those, if his body is made to bare the wounds that were inflicted upon him once again, he could die."

"You should have thought about that before you cast the spell," Leo said. "Why did you cast the spell? Guardians are not supposed to interfere, you are there only to guide."

"Chris is more than just my charge Leo, he's my..." she trailed off.

"He's your what?" Leo challenged. "Your lover?"

Prue was outraged. "Lover? Chris? Of course not. Chris loved Bianca more than life itself, it tore him apart when she died in his arms. And then he had to come back here where you treated him like crap."

"If he's not your lover, than what is he Prue? Because you've broken more than one rule tonight and we need to know why. Why is he so important that you would risk giving your sisters-your family-his pain, especially if it was life-threatening?"

"Chris is...special, that's all," she said in answer, seething now. "I love my family dearly but they've treated my charge terribly, and he comes first. He has to."

A bright light flashed and Prue was gone. Leo ans the Charmed Ones looked at each other, completely lost for words.

* * *

Chris was curled up in a corner of his apartment when the girls listened to his memory. Terror overtook him as he remembered that particular one and all of its subsequent beatings and punishments.

His arms now sported bruises in a reminder of his demonic captor's fierce grip. Just another of the various wounds which now marred his body. He didn't even turn around when he felt Prue arrive.

"You're injured Chris," she said gently.

"Your doing I believe," he said bitterly, turning slightly to give her an angry glare.

She knelt in front of him. "I'm sorry hun, I really, truly am."

He shook his head. "I just don't understand why you did it."

He stood, blatantly ignoring his injuries and paced in front of her.

"They didn't trust you, they were hurting you, emotionally at least. They didn't acknowledge a single sacrifice you've made for them. They don't understand..."

"And they can't," Chris stated. "That's the point. If they understand it would be too late. It would mean I had failed."

Prue disagreed. "The knowledge of your identity would be more of a benefit than a hindrance in this situation Chris. You could change your relationships with them if they understood. All of them."

"And you seek to give them this understanding through a spell?" Chris asked. "Does the concept of 'no personal gain' mean nothing to you?"

"This isn't about personal gain," Prue argued. "This is about justice, life. Those who committed all those sins against you do not yet exist in the minds of their former selves. If we were to give them understanding of what kind of world you were forced to grow up in, raise the stakes, show them what is at risk, then the childhood you endured need never exist."

Chris threw up his hands in frustration. "This is not about me. It never was, and it never will be. This is about Wyatt. About the Charmed Ones. About the world. Even, perhaps, about my family. But not about me, my emotions don't factor into this, my relationships with the Charmed Ones don't mean a damn. They can't."

"And that is where you are wrong," Prue insisted earnestly, her eyes pleading. "You are just as important, just as critical as anyone else in this world, perhaps even more so than some. You have a purpose Chris."

"Yes," Chris said, "and if I protect Wyatt, keep him safe from whatever evil seeks to turn him, then I have fulfilled that purpose. Even if its to a world in which I shall no longer exist."

"Your purpose is not to make it so that you no longer exist," Prue said with conviction, looking sickened. "That is the talk of the young child in you, battered and beaten by those he should have been able to trust."

"The child you are attempting to draw to the surface?" Chris said angrily, drawing attention back to the spell Prue had cast.

"All actions in this world have consequences," he said softly. "Guardians are not immune. And that is why Guardians are told to watch and guide, but not to interfere. The consequences of a Guardian's actions may very well lead to the demise of their charge."

He indicated his injury-filled body. "If you are my demise, you could very well be the demise of the future. A student should not teach their teacher, a child should not discipline their parent, and a charge should not guide their Guardian. But as I have done both of the former, so shall I do the last. Do not interfere Prue. Watch if you must, guide if you can, _but do not interfere_."

Chris orbed out, leaving Prue feeling chastised and alone.

* * *

Chris orbed to the attic of the Halliwell Manor where he was met with the sight of the Charmed Ones in a frenzy.

Phoebe was simultaneously writing a spell and looking through the Book of Shadows while Paige was concocting a potion. Piper was lecturing a winded looking Leo while balancing an energetic Wyatt on her hip.

Chris stumbled slightly from his injuries and caught the attention of the attics occupants who halted all movements and went silent.

Chris gazed at them all wearily, then his eyes rolled back as his numerous injuries finally caught up with him and he fainted.

Piper came out of the stupor first and pushed everyone else back into action. "Leo, heal. Now. Paige, Phoebe hurry up and finish to potion and spell."

There was a flurry of movement and Leo hurried over to Chris and orbed him onto the couch. He looked him over, assessing his injuries and winced when he saw the bruise his own fist had formed on Chris' face during their earlier confrontation.

The punch had been a 'crime of passion' so to speak. He had just been so overwhelmed with learning that the mysterious whitelighter from the future was also a witch and then suspicious of his involvement with a Phoenix witch, he just didn't think. He regretted it now.

He let the healing glow flow over Chris and sighed with relief when the injuries faded. He had been worried that they would not heal because they had been inflicted by a spell but these seemed to heal just fine, which, truthfully, didn't make much sense.

"No, no sense at all, why are you healing," Leo murmured as he finished and Chris opened his eyes blearily, and blinking, unconsciously answered Leo's question.

"Because that's how my injuries were healed originally. By a whitelighter's magic."

He got up and stretched his back as Leo pondered his words curiously. Chris looked at the activity in the room and let a smirk cross over his face.

"I take it we have a demon to catch?" he asked wryly. The sisters looked taken aback.

"No," Paige said. "We're going to reverse the spell that Prue cast on you."

Chris was surprised. Very rarely in his life had people been concerned with what happened to him. Then again, the spell was affecting the sisters as well, and that probably would not work to well with their demon hunting abilities. Still...it was nice to have someone be concerned about him. Even if it was secondhand concern.

"Done," Phoebe said, putting down her pen, as Paige added the last ingredient of her potion. "So where's Prue anyway?" This was directed towards Chris.

The whitelighter shrugged. "Hopefully not interfering. So are we gonna do this or not?"

The sisters nodded and leaned over Phoebe to read the paper. They spoke in one voice.

"_A spell was cast in compassion's name,_

_A foolish act and made in vain._

_Take back the words,_

_Take back the rhyme,_

_To help the one who's come back in time." _

The sisters stopped chanting and Paige indicated that Chris should take the potion. "To clear you of any residual effects of either spell," she said in explanation. Chris nodded and took it.

"Well, that's that then," he said after he downed it. "If you need me, you know how to find me." He started to orb away, but Piper gripped his arm and brought him back.

"Don't you think we should talk about this Chris?" she asked, her sisters and husband nodding in obvious agreement. Chris locked eyes with Wyatt who was balanced on her hip. The toddler looked all innocent as he sucked on his thumb. Chris rolled his eyes. _I endure all this for you, you know,_ he thought and Wyatt giggled.

Chris started. Was it possible? Had Wyatt heard what he had thought? It was true that he and his brother had always shared a somewhat weak telepathic connection, but he hadn't expected it with the Wyatt of this time... he shook himself out of his thoughts.

"I think the air is pretty clear Piper," he said in response to her question. "You got to find out a little bit about the future, albeit just my future, and I got to endure childhood pain. Sounds like my idea of a good time. Let's get together for Yahtzee sometime. Saturday good for you?"

Piper just rolled her eyes at his sarcasm, quite used to it by now. "Look, Chris. We're sorry for how we acted after you got back from the future. We were just surprised that's all. It was a bit of a shock to find out that you're a witch too." Leo was quiet, ashamed of himself.

Chris shrugged. "Look, its understandable I guess. You're forgiven."

Phoebe spoke up. "You've got to understand Chris. You come here from who knows when and tell us that you're here to help us. Ok. Fine. But its like you've got this big secret. Why can't you tell us who you are? Why couldn't you tell us you were a witch? What else are you hiding? Prue was so upset about us not trusting you, but if she was still alive she would have reacted in exactly the same way."

"I can't tell you who I am because if I do it could seriously mess with the timeline ok? As for why I couldn't tell you I was a witch, I had a hard time getting you to work with me as your whitelighter, I had no idea how you'd react to that knowledge. As to what I'm hiding? I can't tell you, if I do, the world could end up worse than its already going to, and believe me, that's bad."

Paige was frustrated. "Why didn't you at least tell us that Prue was your Guardian? That would have probably helped us trust you quite a bit don't you think? Prue was our sister after all. She was a member of this family. She would have given you some serious credibility buddy."

"That was my decision," Prue said, shining in. "I've only recently died in this time, relatively speaking. In the future Chris comes from, you don't find about my ascension to Guardianship until two years after Chris is born."

"Why would we find out about you being Chris' guardian?" Piper asked, confused.

"She can't tell you that," Chris cut in, glaring at Prue. "Future consequences. I thought I told you to stop interfering."

"I'm the Guardian here Chris," Prue said. "And I think you've kept your identity secret for far too long."

Chris' face flushed in anger. "This is my life Prue. Let me live it. Let me make my own decisions. I don't want them to know who I am. It doesn't matter anyway..."

He was suddenly cut off as the familiar feeling of the memories washed over the room once again. Distantly he heard the sisters moan about how they thought they had stopped this but soon he was caught up in the memory.

"_You never learn, do you Chris?" the man's voice from the earlier vision, angry, his words hard. "You just never learn." _

A thump sounded in the memory and Chris fell and flew across the floor, holding his ribs.

"_I'm sorry dad," the boy said, his voice implying that he was in his early teens, maybe thirteen or fourteen. "I didn't mean to do anything wrong." He whimpered quietly. _

"_You're such a screw-up Chris. Sometimes I wonder where your mother and I went wrong." _

The sisters gasped as they watched Chris' body get littered with several cuts by an invisible assailant. Chris didn't cry out only curled into himself, seemingly lost in the memory.

"_Stop this," a woman's voice now, cold. "Stop right now." _

"_This is not your concern Prue," the man said. "Step aside." _

"_He's my charge," the woman, now identified as Prue said. "He's my responsibility." _

"_Just leave Prue," the boy said, his voice weary. "I deserve this. Don't interfere." _

"_Chris..." _

"_LEAVE." _

"_That's right Chris," the man laughed. "Accept your fate." _

The memory dissipated and the sisters breathed a sigh of relief as the phantom pains they had felt left them as well. Leo hurried over to Chris to heal him and Prue quietly asked what they had heard.

"A man, his father, was beating him," Paige said in a somber voice. "You showed up though, tried to help. Chris wouldn't let you though. What a horrible man to do such things to his own son."

"He healed me though," Chris said, almost to himself. He was cradling himself, looking down. "He healed me afterwards. He even apologized."

"That doesn't make it right," Leo said, attempting to console him.

Chris just shot him a sardonic look and orbed out, leaving the girls to figure out why their spell hadn't worked.


	3. Chapter Three

**Mistake**

**Chapter Three

* * *

**

Paige ran a tired hand through her hair. "I just don't understand why the spell didn't work," she said.

"You can't tamper with these kinds of things," Leo told her patiently. "The spell will end when it's run its course. That's just the way it is."

"Do you trust him?" Prue asked suddenly. "Because that was the purpose of the spell-to get you to trust him. So do you?"

The sisters looked at each other as though speaking silently, then nodded. Phoebe spoke, "We'd like to sweetie, we really would. It's just that he is still so much of an unknown to us. It's obvious he had a bad childhood and, while we feel sympathy, we don't know how that treatment affected him."

Prue rubbed her temples, eyeing them heatedly. "Then the spell has not yet run its full course, and you, in your distrust, may cause the spell to kill him for it."

"Trust comes in time Prue," Paige said, sounding regretful, "and as much as we'd like to, we can not afford to trust readily someone who keeps secrets from us."

Prue just groaned.

Piper took charge once more, "Ok, so it's obvious that completely obliterating the spell Prue cast is not an option, and it's also apparent that the spell has not yet run its course. Still, we have to do something to stop Chris from getting injured, even if we can't stop the memories. Any ideas?"

Phoebe looked speculative. Leo said in a small voice, "I'll go find Chris," and orbed out. Phoebe snapped her fingers, getting an idea.

"What if we altered the original spell? Not try to get rid of it, just change it. Redirect it so that it shows us what we need to see to trust Chris and therefore run its course."

"Brilliant," Paige said. Prue and Piper nodded their consent. Phoebe got to work.

* * *

"This really isn't the best place for you right now," a voice said, causing Chris, who was sitting atop the Golden Gate Bridge, to jump slightly.

"Leave me be Leo," Chris said, not turning around.

"And what if the spell strikes while you are here?" Leo challenged. "You could fall to your death."

Chris said nothing, but flinched when Leo laid a hand on his shoulder.

Leo quickly took back his hand. "Come back to the Manor Chris, the sisters are figuring something out."

Chris was stone as he answered, "I'll come when I'm ready."

Leo sighed and flicked his wrist, orbing Chris back to the house. "As you wish," he muttered, and orbed away as well.

* * *

"What the fuck!" Chris yelled angrily as his forced orb landed him in the attic.

"What's wrong with you?" Piper asked, standing before him with a raised eyebrow.

"I'll tell you what's wrong!" Chris shouted, raging. "Your _Elder_ of a husband captured my orbs."

"Captured your orbs?" Piper repeated slowly, looking at him questioningly.

"He means I forced his orb," Leo explained, orbing in himself. "He was sitting on top of the bridge and I couldn't leave him there without endangering him while the spell was still in place. He wasn't coming voluntarily, so I directed his orbs back here."

Piper shrugged. "Ok then," she said, turning to glare at Chris. "Really Chris? On top of the bridge? You could have fallen to your death if a memory had hit you while you were up there."

Chris raised an eyebrow. "Didn't know you cared Piper."

Piper scowled and Paige took hold of Chris, steering him towards the couch before the two started to fight. Phoebe set down her pen with an audible snap and Prue looked over her shoulder, eyeing the paper critically. Chris looked at the curiously.

"We've made a spell," Phoebe explained.

"That didn't work out so hot last time," Chris pointed out.

"This one isn't to get rid of the original spell, just to alter it. It should make it so that you aren't injured when the memories occur. We've figured that the spell won't stop until the memories show us what we need to see-or hear really."

Chris looked at them with trepidation, Prue gave him a gentle smile and sat down next to him as her living sisters crowded around Phoebe to read the spell aloud.

_"Numb the pain caused from the spell,_

_The memories which harmed, now leave him well._

_Breeze through the air like a healing touch,_

_He who's pained, has seen so much._

_Leave him now, innocent and free,_

_From the pain caused by those memories." _

A light shone around Chris and blinded him from the sisters sight. Chris let out a cry as the sisters attempted to get their sight back. Leo shielded his eyes from the bright light. And then it faded away, and sitting in the place where Chris had been sitting was a...

Boy. Young, perhaps seven or eight. He looked at them with wide green eyes. Leo knew immediately that this child was the same person who had sat before them at twenty-three. Chris large t-shirt and pants fell around him, slipping somewhat to reveal an injury-stricken back, and arms filled with bruises. His face was also terribly bruised. Leo felt his heart go out to this beaten child, silently cursing those who had done this.

Chris regarded his surrounding warily. The last he remembered, he had been silently receiving punishment from his father. Then, something had flashed and sparked around him and brought him to Halliwell Manor's attic, a place he knew well.

But this attic looked much more barren than the attic he was used to, and the people surrounding him, staring down at him with such large, wide eyes, they did not look like the people he was accustomed to seeing in such a place, or at least they looked much younger than they usually did.

Immediately he threw up his hands. "Demons," he cried, throwing all of them back simultaneously with his telekinesis. The woman who had taken the form of his Guardian recovered first.

"Chris," she said gently, pushing herself back up from where she had fallen against the wall. "Chris, it's me, it's Prue." She took a step towards him but froze when he threw up his hands once more threateningly.

"Stay back Demon, don't try your tricks on me," he warned in a trembling but solid voice. "MOM!" he yelled, hoping to notify someone in the house that there were demons in the attic. Prue shook her head and with a bright light she was gone, then reappeared, shining in beside the boy, calmly pressing his hands down.

"Chris, its me," she said urgently, causing the boy to release the magical tension that had been building up in his hands and let it flow back into his bloodstream. He believed her, no demon he had ever heard of had been able to duplicate the method that Guardians used to travel.

"Come on Chris," she said, placing a hand on his shoulder, lightening her touch when he winced. "We have to talk." They disappeared.

The sisters pried themselves up from their positions against the wall and Leo hurried over to heal Paige's bruised side, then they all stared at each other, all of them thinking exactly the same question.

"What was that?" Phoebe asked.

Leo sighed. "It looks like the magic acted as it saw best and answered the request you made to it. It healed him of the pain caused by the memories you witnessed by causing his body to revert back to how it was before those memories took place. The pain of the memories you witnessed is gone because it literally is _nonexistant_. Those injuries have not yet occurred."

Paige nodded, seeing the sense of it. "So that's why he was so confused. This Chris hasn't experienced growing up and coming back in time to save Wyatt yet."

"He obviously remembers demons," Piper complained, rubbing her back where she had hit the wall. "Though why he thought we were ones I couldn't tell you."

"Unless he knew us from the future," Phoebe piped up. "And seeing us looking so different from what we do in the future, he automatically assumed that we were shapeshifters or such. He was only acting in his defense."

Paige looked sickened. "Did you see all those bruises he had?" she asked. "That has to be one of the most severe cases of abuse I've ever seen and I was a social worker."

Her sisters and Leo nodded and waited for Prue to return with her charge.

* * *

"What's going on Prue?" Chris asked as soon as they set down in the quiet park, the same place Chris had proposed to Bianca at, and a favorite of Chris as a child. He sat on the bench and pulled up his knees to his head in a fetal position. "Who were all those people? Why did they look like my parents?"

Prue sighed. "The truth is little one, that those are your parents. You're in the past. You actually haven't been born yet."

"I'm in the past?" Chris questioned. "How did that happen? I swear I wasn't messing around with the book or the potions or anything," he told her, looking at her fearfully. "I swear it."

"No, no, no," Prue assured him. "You didn't do anything wrong. This isn't your fault. We're not really sure what happened. The thing is, your older self was here. How old are you by the way?"

"Seven," he said shyly.

"Well then, in fourteen years you should be aware that you will be traveling to the past to save the world. And that's really all you need to know about that. You've got to make your own decisions. You understand that don't you?"

"Yeah," he nodded. "Otherwise there might be future consequences."

Prue smirked slightly before she continued. "The things is Chris, you're parents and aunts don't know that you're related to them, and your older self doesn't want them to know either. So you have to keep this a secret alright. You've got to call your mom Piper and your dad Leo ok? And you've got to call your aunts by their names."

He nodded, then looked down. "But won't they be angry that I'm not treating them with re-re-respect?" he said, stuttering over the word and Prue was quick to reassure him.

"No love, they won't be angry at you at all. They don't even know who you are yet after all."

He nodded and she held out her hand. "Let's go back and talk to them then, ok?" He took her hand tentatively and they returned to the manor.

* * *

"Oh thank goodness you're all right," Paige said when her sister and deaged whitelighter returned to the attic. Phoebe stopped her scrying and Leo hurried over to Chris from where he and Piper, who was holding Wyatt, had been talking in hushed voices.

Chris backed away from him, fear evident in his eyes. Leo slowed his pace. "It's ok Chris, I just want to heal those nasty bruises."

"But you...Dad always says I should wait for them to heal themselves," Chris protested. "He'll be angry if they're gone away by magic."

Leo looked at him with tender eyes, surprising Chris who was so used to seeing him with steel, icy eyes, intent on punishing him. "You're dad isn't here, and you're in pain. So let me help you, it won't hurt, I promise."

Chris looked at him carefully, weighing his options. On one hand, his bruises really did hurt, a dull ache he had been forced to accustom himself to, and it would be nice to have them gone, at least for a while. On the other, when he got back to his own time, his Leo would have his head for allowing himself to be healed magically.

Finally he nodded, deciding to stick with the present for now. Leo carefully held his hands over Chris' injuries and watched them disappear, more slowly then injuries usually did.

"Why is this taking so long?" Leo grumbled to himself, surprised when Chris answered him.

"Because my magic doesn't like Elders very much and usually guards against their magic," Chris said. "But I promise, I don't _tell _it to do that, it just does. I swear."

The child's voice was slightly panicky at the end and Leo was quick to assure him that he didn't mind at all, continuing with the slow healing.

Paige wrinkled her brow. "He talks about magic like it's a sentient being. Like it's a person almost, with feelings and emotions."

"Isn't it?" Leo asked, glancing at her and finally pulling away his hands as the last bruise faded away. "Magic is the reason you all exist. You are the creations of it, made to carry out its acts and use its traits as it by itself can not. Magic is really its own personage, you can merely attempt to direct it with spells and potions. That's why acts of personal gain have such consequence, the magic shows its displeasure with you."

The sisters nodded in understanding. "But why would magic not like Elders?" Phoebe asked. "After all, Elders watch over _all_ of magic, don't they. So why would his magic guard against it?."

Leo just shrugged. "Some people's magic is just naturally defensive that's all."

Paige was skeptical. "Sorry Leo, but we're the Charmed Ones, some of the most defensive good witches alive, and our magic doesn't fight against Elders."

Leo nodded, "That's true, but magic is also dependent on individual feeling. No Elder has caused you any harm" -he ignored Piper's violent snort-"while if Chris has met an Elder he believes he may need to defend himself from, his magic may react in kind."

Chris shuffled his feet a little bit and Prue motioned for them to change topics, sensing her charge's discomfort.

"Well anyway," Paige said. "I'm Paige, and these are my sisters..."

"I know who you are," Chris interrupted absently. The girl's eyes widened and Chris winced as he realized what he'd unintentionally admitted.

"Really?" Piper said in a cheerful voice, and Chris thought fast. "And how is that?"

"Uh...everyone knows the Charmed Ones," he said quickly.

Phoebe raised an eyebrow as she sensed Chris lying but Prue motioned for them to stop and they reluctantly complied.

**Please Review.**


	4. Chapter Four

**Mistake**

**Chapter Four

* * *

**

_22 Years in the Future_

"Watcher!" Wyatt called from his lair in the Underworld. He waited as the demon spy materialized before him.

"I need you to show me my brother," he said to the demon, who bowed respectfully. "There's been some type of disturbance in magic. I can feel it, and I sense that my brother has something to do with it."

"Yes m'lord," the demon muttered. He walked over to the table wide, shining mirror which Wyatt kept in his lair for just such occasions.

An image of his brother appeared in the glass. It was an image which Wyatt recognized immediately. He turned angrily on the demon. "Your magic is malfunctioning Watcher," he snapped threateningly.

The watcher looked confused and slightly bemused. "No, m'lord," he assured the tyrant. "This is the disturbance you felt. Your brother has somehow reverted to his younger self. His self before his powers were bound.

Wyatt dismissed the demon and considered. A rogue Chris was a dangerous Chris, especially with his powers at his disposal. However, he remembered his brother at that age. He knew exactly what to do to get under his brother's skin.

Afterall, it shouldn't be that hard. His brother was with his _parents _in the past. And if this Chris remembered nothing of what happened after the age of seven, then Chris didn't know about Wyatt's turning.

Chris had always trusted Wyatt. Who was he more likely to aid in his present state? The parents who had abused and neglected him? Or his brother, who had always done his best to look out for him?

* * *

Things at the Manor had settled down slightly. As there was no imminent demonic threat, Paige had gone off to her new temp job and Phoebe had gone to work.

Piper was in the kitchen getting dinner ready while Leo and Chris talked at the table. Prue had disappeared again, something Chris did not seem to think very odd, but had perplexed the sisters and Leo.

Currently, Chris was sitting at the table quietly while Leo tried to get him to open up. The only sign that he was anxious was the way he unclenched and clenched his fists.

"So where do you live?" Leo asked.

"Around," Chris answered evasively. Leo furrowed his brow.

"Do you have any siblings?" he asked, having not been a witness to Chris' earlier memories caused by the spell.

Chris clenched his fists. "An older brother," he admitted.

"Would you like to go see him?" Leo asked, curious.

Chris eyed him. "Somehow, I don't think that's a good idea."

"Why not?" Leo questioned. "You said your mom's a witch right? And your dads a whitelighter? They might be able to help."

"I haven't even been born yet," Chris answered sardonically. "I somehow doubt that they would take the news that their son from 22 years in the future is in town very well."

Leo, remembering the abuse the boy had obviously suffered, sobered up quickly. "I'm sorry. You're right of course."

Chris allowed himself a small grin at that statement. The action was not missed by Leo, who considered the boy silently.

The seven-year-old knew his way around the Manor well enough and seemed to have an easy familiarity with his surroundings. This indicated that the child was in the Manor on a regular basis. However, he was still blatantly uncomfortable with Leo, a trait he shared with his older self. He also possessed a vulnerability, making Leo slightly uneasy at the boy's discomfort.

Piper popped the food she was making into the oven and sat down beside Chris, pretending not to notice the way he stiffened when her arm brushed his as she settled down.

"So what do you do for fun Chris?" she asked, attempting some polite conversation. Chris looked startled at the question.

"Oh...I like to paint," he said. "And I play soccer sometimes, when Wy...when the other kids need someone else to play."

"And was Wyatt a good soccer player," Piper asked casually, catching the boy's word lapse.

"He's always pretty good, just kinda..." Chris trailed off, realizing he had just admitted to knowing Wyatt in the future. Piper looked triumphant while Leo looked speculative.

Piper's eyes shone happily. "So do you two get along real well in the future then? Are you like best friends?"

Chris fidgeted uncomfortably. "Um...not exactly...kinda...it's hard to explain..."

Piper looked pleased and turned to Leo. "We have a motive," she commented lightly.

"A motive?" Leo questioned.

"For why Chris came back. He was friends with Wyatt and was distraught when something happened to him."

_Something happened to Wyatt?_ Chris questioned himself quietly. He loved his brother, it was true. But Wyatt wasn't exactly the nicest kid in the playground and definitely had violent tendencies toward his own brother, though it was true that Wyatt often protected him from Leo's more violent ministrations. _If so why do I care?_ He asked himself. _Why do I care about any of them?_

Before the conversation could progress any further, fortunately for Chris, the air in the kitchen shimmered and a figure appeared with long and knotted black hair and misty golden eyes, which glowed eerily. This would have been alright, of course, save for the fact that her nails elongated into talons. Protruding from her back were shining ebony wings, which, for all their beauty, were somewhat tarnished by the faint splotches of a darker color and residual smell of blood. The air in the kitchen seemed suddenly contaminated and the three other occupants balked at the stench.

"Demon!" Piper shouted, throwing her chair back and attempting to blow the demon-or demoness perhaps-up. Leo and Chris scattered, trying to get out of the way. The woman simply flew back a few paces and smirked at the eldest Charmed One. Leo's eyes widened.

"I'll get your sisters," Leo said, orbing out quickly. Chris stared at the blue orbs as they left, his eyes shifting back and forth between them and his mother, who was currently staring at her hands, surprised.

"Oh...not good," she muttered. "She's not effected by my powers."

The demon shot lightning at Piper, who quickly ducked under the table, the fire missing her by mere inches. Chris let out an involuntary whimper at the close call from his position in the corner, drawing the woman's attention to him. Her lips turned up in a smirk.

"The half-breed," she said seductively, her fingers reaching towards him, her feet bringing her closer. "Come, little one, there is much in store for you."

"Chris! Watch out," Piper yelled, throwing her hands up at the demon again, who merely skidded back a pace, then shot lightning back at the Charmed One. Piper was forced to take cover again, as the fire missed her once again by scant inches.

The woman reached her clawed hands towards Chris. Chris whimpered and threw his hands up, bracing for the inevitable contact, when, quite suddenly, the hand stopped moving. Chris regarded the demon and saw that she was, in fact, frozen in place.

Blue orbs winked into being in the room, and Piper's sister and husband appeared in the room, quickly assessing the situation. Chris' hands held up in front of the frozen demon, and Piper wiping off the debris of the table from her clothing, all the while staring at Chris in shock.

Chris slowly let his hands fall to his sides, inching away from the demon with a fearful look on his face. "I-I'm sorry," he stuttered. "I didn't mean to."

Piper was in shock. "My powers didn't affect it at all," she said. "I tried to blow it up twice, and nothing. And he, not even meaning to, is able to freeze it. How is that possible?"

Chris looked down, seeming for all parts, ashamed of himself. "I'm sorry. I won't do it again."

Phoebe shook her head and knelt down next to the boy. "No, no honey. You didn't do anything wrong. We're just surprised that's all. We didn't know you had that much power."

Chris shook his head. "My brother told me not to use it. He doesn't like my magic. It's always causing trouble. I'm not supposed to use it, no matter what."

Phoebe smiled warmly at him, setting a kind hand on his shoulder, patiently ignoring his flinch. "Well he's wrong then. Magic is a part of who you are. You should always be able to rely on it in a time of need. And you used it very well indeed. You defended yourself and Piper from this demon's attack."

Phoebe straightened and regarded the demon. "Well, I hate to be the one to point this out, but we have no idea how long this frozen state will last, so we better do something with her."

"Crystals," Paige said, and the crystals orbed in from the attic and formed a circle around the frozen demon in response. Then they fell silent and waited for the freezing to wear off. Chris shuffled his feet and looked down. Ten minutes later they were still waiting.

"Ok," Phoebe said. "I don't get it, why has she started moving again. Is she faking?"

"No," Leo said, looking carefully at the demon. "I think she's still genuinely frozen. Whatever Chris did, it hasn't worn off yet."

Chris started to tap his foot nervously.

"But Leo, even I can't hold this kind of demon frozen for so long," Piper protested. "He's only seven years old, its not possible for him to do this. It's too much power for one kid to hold."

Phoebe nodded in tentative agreement. "Yeah...Leo, we just found out Chris was a witch as well as a whitelighter. It's true we really didn't know what his powers were, but with all the demon attacks we've been having, it would have been awful hard to hide this kind of thing."

"Unless his powers were bound later on," Paige offered.

"Or it was beat into him not to use magic so often that it's no longer his first response," Leo said quietly, eyeing the young boy, who, surprisingly, raised his head to glare at the Elder.

"Look," he said, sounding, for all parts, the more mature Whitelighter they were used to. "My magic causes trouble. It's not good. I'm not supposed to use it. Not ever." He crossed his arms, glaring at them.

Paige knelt down next to him, refraining from touching him comfortingly, as was her first inclination. "Well honey, we can't really leave a demon in the kitchen forever. Do you think you could use it just one more time to unfreeze her and find out why she's here?"

Chris shook his head firmly. "No. It's wrong. I'll get in trouble. You're trying to get me in trouble. You want to get me punished."

Paige shook her head. "No sweetheart. I don't want to get you in trouble. You've done nothing wrong, and unfreezing this demon won't be wrong either," his eyes reluctantly turned to her. "I promise," she said.

Chris stared into her eyes for a second then brought up his hands and unfroze the demon. "Thank's buddy," said Leo, running a hand through the small boy's hair, who flinched from the contact, and regarded him with confusion.

Why wasn't his father yelling at him? He had used magic! Twice, in fact. He was never supposed to use magic. His magic caused trouble. Why wasn't he getting punished? Why wasn't he in trouble?

Paige noticed his expression as she got up, and recognized it for what it was. It was the look of a boy who's had one too many promises broken and is shocked when one is upheld.

"Hey," she said, calling the young half-whitelighter's attention. "You didn't do anything wrong. You aren't in trouble. I promised you, remember? You can trust me."

Hesitating, Chris then nodded. Paige let a small smile light her face before turning to face the demoness currently residing in a circle in their kitchen.

"So," Phoebe said, her voice tinted with barely concealed anger. "Who are you to enter the home of the Charmed Ones and attack my sister and husband-in-law, not to mention a defenseless child?"

"Defenseless?" the creature hissed, seemingly amused. It flexed its clawed hands. "This one?"

"Answer the question," Piper demanded, clenching her fists threateningly. Leo looked tentatively at the young whitelighter watching avidly.

"Um...perhaps Chris shouldn't be here for this," Leo suggested quietly. Paige looked at them and nodded, motioning for Leo to take the boy out of the room. Leo nudged Chris, but the witch didn't move, his eyes trained on the scene in front of him. Leo sighed and prepared to cover the child's eyes when it was time for the inevitable vanquish.

"I don't answer to you witch," the woman answered in response to Piper's earlier questions, causing Piper's eyes to narrow.

"Book of Shadows," Paige called, and the book appeared in her hands. The demon didn't react, just kept her eyes locked on Chris, who stared unflinchingly back.

"She's called a Harpy," Paige said, looking at the demon for confirmation, the woman did not respond. "Harpies are winged creatures who punish crime on Earth and then punish their victims eternally in the Underworld. They can take on the form of both human and bird and always carry around a terrible stench. It says here that they sometimes targeted those who were unwilling to die. They are three sisters by the name of Aello, Celaeno, and Ocypete. They can control elements of the weather, and, apparently, spirits."

"Any known vanquish?" Piper's voice was strong but seemed somewhat strained. From her isolated position the Harpy smirked.

"No," Paige answered shortly.

"Why are you attacking us Harpy?" Phoebe asked. "We are no criminals. We have done no wrong to you."

The Harpy kept her eyes locked on Chris, staring the seven year old down. Chris remained unfazed. Leo sighed.

"Harpies are controlled by he who holds the greatest power," he informed the sisters. "Whoever sent her is after you."

"So what you're saying," Piper said. "Is that she's just an underling? And there's some greater power after us."

The Harpy turned her head sharply at them. "Do not mistake me for some common minion Witch. I shall hold your heart by the time this is through."

"Yeah, yeah, yeah," Piper said, waving her off. "And I'm really concerned, seeing as you're trapped in a cage and all."

The Harpy snorted and flicked her wings out, causing the crystals to fly across the floor, Piper's eyes widened. In a blink of an eye, the Harpy had crouched down next to Chris, and, before disappearing in a whirlwind of feathers, said, "Remember the name Aello, half-breed. I will be back for you."

And then she was gone.

Paige checked Chris over hurriedly, though the boy hadn't even flinched when the Harpy had cornered him. "Are you all right?" she questioned him, though the answer came in the form of a shrug. She stepped back.

"Well, we know what the Harpy is after at least," Piper said, looking over their mini Whitelighter.

"What we don't know is why," Leo said.

* * *

_20 Years in the Future_

"You're brother possesses great strength, m'lord," Aello said when she arrived in her lair. She stopped shortly to bring her wingtip to here forehead in a half-salute, then continued. "He managed to freeze me for quite a time."

"And the Charmed Ones?" Wyatt asked.

"As easily subdued as always. If not for the half-breed I could have killed them right there and then. Their Elder was just as useless."

"You are not to harm them," Wyatt said sharply. "Injure them if necessary, knock them out if possible, but do not kill them. They have uses still that they must fulfill before their demise."

"And the half-breed? I will not be able to capture him by myself. He possesses far too great a strength."

Wyatt nodded in acceptance. "And that is what makes him so useful to us. But he possesses one great weakness."

"M'lord?"

"He has been shrunken to the age of a child, and his big brother knows all his secrets."

The Harpy shifted her wings, intrigued. The ruler of the world looked at her and sneered. "Well? What are you waiting for? Get your sisters and prepare."

Aello left.


	5. Chapter Five

**Mistake**

**Chapter Five

* * *

**

"Alright," Piper said as she settled herself on the couch in the living room. Beside her, Paige was leafing through the Book of Shadows, searching in vain for more information on the Harpy. "Chris is in your bed Phoebe, you'll have to sleep on the couch tonight."

The empath sighed and ran a hand through her hair. "That's fine. I doubt I'll sleep much tonight anyway."

Chris hadn't said much after the Harpy attack. And even if he had, there was little a seven year old could know about why a demon was so interested in him. After a very tense dinner, the sisters and Leo had agreed that the best place for Chris was a bed. In the Manor, of course, since he couldn't very well go to his room in P3 as a child.

Paige groaned and sat back from the book. "There's nothing else in here. Any ideas why a seven year old whitelighter is being targeted?"

"Well, he is half-witch and the demon seemed very interested in that," Leo said, then wrinkled his nose. "He called him a half-breed."

"Yeah," Paige said, "and Chris has obviously got quite a bit of power in him. He froze a demon Piper couldn't even touch."

"Do you have to rub that in?" Piper grumbled. "And where's Prue? You would think she'd be a little bit more active on her charges behalf."

"This is something you have to deal with by yourselves," Prue said, shining in abruptly and startling them. "Young Chris mustn't come to depend upon my presence, it could adversely effect his future. I must stay on the sidelines and in the background as much as possible."

The Charmed-One-turned-Guardian disappeared in a flash of bright light and Piper huffed. "Well I guess that answers _that_ question."

Phoebe let out a frustrated half-yell. "When Chris gets to be his usual self again, he is gonna have a _lot_ to answer to," she declared. "Why would he keep that kind of power a secret from us? More importantly, _how_ did he keep that kind of power a secret from us? We've made him so angry so many times, you'd think he would have accidently blown up a vase or something."

"He could just have better control than you," Leo began, but changed direction when his wife and sisters-in-law shot him murderous looks, "or maybe at twenty-three he no longer has those powers. Someone could have bound his powers during his youth."

"It makes sense," Paige said tentatively. "After the way he acted when he accidently froze that Harpy today, it sounds like his family isn't too fond of him being able to use magic. It follows that they might take more drastic measures to make sure he couldn't use it."

"Yeah, but for that kind of binding, they would need the Power of Three," Piper said. "And I can't see us binding an abused and well-meaning child's adolescent powers."

"Unless there's someone stronger than use in the future," Paige said.

"Or his family twisted the situation so we didn't realize what was happening," Phoebe said.

"Look, this isn't helping us right now," Leo said. "I doubt we'll get any solid answers until Chris reverts back to his normal self, and right now we have more important matters to be worrying about. Like that Harpy demon. I'm gonna go check with the Elders about the demon, and see if they know anything about Chris' condition. I'll be back soon."

Leo disappeared in a jumble of blue orbs and the sisters looked at each other, lost for ideas.

"It's odd..." Piper said after a few moments of comfortable and speculative silence. "Having another child in the house with Wyatt. Having a demon that's _not_ after Wyatt. Protecting another child that's not Wyatt."

"I know," Phoebe said. "It's strange isn't it?"

"But it feels right," Paige said. "It feels like something we're supposed to do, even if that child is Chris."

* * *

_20 Years in the Future_

_"Ocypete," Wyatt greeted, standing in a rare show of respect, "Celaeno. Aello. I trust you bring me good news." _

_Celaeno tilted her head at their liege lord, regarding him with blood red eyes and a hardened gaze. "The Death Sisters bring no threats of good tidings son of a Charmed One. I expect this would much defeat your purpose." _

_Wyatt refrained himself from lashing out at her impertinence. Celaeno was the eldest, and most powerful of the Harpy three, but she was also the least accustomed to dealing with the outside world. He remained silent and waited for the other two to report. _

_"All preparations for the half-breed have been made," Ocypete said, her dark and blackened eyes latching on to his in a show of equality that made his blood curdle, as much as he had to endure it. _

_"His arrival is imminent upon our departure," Aello said, her golden eyes the only one of three which showed any sign of human expression, a type of repressed amusement. This, if possible, irked Wyatt more than the other two's more blank responses. _

_"Then I trust that your departure is also imminent?" Wyatt bit out the question with as much respect as he could muster. _

_The Harpies locked their gaze upon his, then turned on their heel and walked out. Wyatt shook his head and let his nails bite into his fists, the only sign of anger he could allow himself to show.

* * *

_

"Paige. Good," Phoebe said, as blue orbs highlighted her office at the Bay Mirror, the day following the attack on Chris. "What would you say to a woman who feels that she is, and I quote 'withering away in the vain redundancies of corporate America and missing out on the more fulfilling intricacies of life'?"

Paige blinked at her sister's sudden onslaught of words. "Translation?"

"She spends too much time at work."

Paige snorted. "Tell her to try our life for a day. I have a feeling she'll be praising the 'redundancies of corporate America' by the end of it."

Phoebe took off her glasses and regarded her sister with a serious expression. "What's wrong Paige? Has something happened?"

"Nothing too out of the ordinary. I just stopped by to tell you that I'm going to work, Piper's at the club, Leo's 'Up There', and Wyatt is at Sheila's. You are officially on 'Chris duty'."

Paige pulled out the seven year old from behind her and Phoebe made a desperate attempt to stifle her groan. She looked at Paige desperately, waving at all her papers. "Paige, I'm working!"

"So are the rest of us, and we can't very well leave Chris all by himself. Especially with that Harpy on the loose."

"I'll be quiet," Chris said timidly, speaking for the first time. He was wearing new clothes, obviously Paige had taken him on a small shopping expedition before arriving. Phoebe was caught by the child's words and stood up from her desk.

"Well, it's about time for a break anyway. How 'bout some lunch Chris?"

"Sure," he said, his head bowed. Phoebe frowned.

"Good luck," Paige muttered, then orbed out.

Phoebe grabbed her coat and, narrowly escaping Elise and other various newspaper staff, the two walked out of the building searching for a place to eat. They settled at a small café where the two sat down to order. Chris seemed to be slightly puzzled.

"Do you need me to read that for you?" Phoebe asked, indicating the kids' menu he held.

"No, I can read," Chris said, he looked up at her with a torn expression. "I just don't know what I want."

Phoebe had to stifle an amused laugh at the boy's dilemma. She quickly glanced over at the menu. The café they were eating at was a brunch place and the kids menu included breakfast and lunch items. Phoebe pointed out the waffles.

"How about those?" she suggested. "They look good, and you can get them with strawberries."

Chris crunched up his nose. "Nah, I'm allergic to strawberries, they make me pass out."

Phoebe looked at the menu again. It was rather amusing that Chris as a child was almost as neurotic as Chris as an adult, but when child Chris finally admitted some information, it was on such small information as allergies.

The two finally decided on some lunch then trekked back to The Bay Mirror, where Phoebe sequestered some crayons and paper, and Chris got to work coloring while Phoebe went to deal with 'the redundancies of corporate America'.

* * *

Piper was just putting the finishing touches on the stage for the band that would be playing tonight when Leo orbed in behind her, thoroughly startling her, and earning him a scolding.

"What if someone had been here with me Leo?" Piper screeched. "What if someone had seen you? You can't just orb in anywhere and everywhere that you like you know."

"Piper," he addressed her calmly. "I sensed for anyone else in the room before I came in."

Piper narrowed her eyes at him but gave up on her lecture. "What did the Elders say about the Harpy?" she asked.

Leo grew serious. "This is pretty major. The Elders have all three Harpies contained 'Up There' for the time being. That means that the Harpy we faced yesterday is from the future."

"Well that explains why she knew about Chris," Piper said.

"As for Chris," Leo sighed. "They don't know much. All the know is that when Chris became a child again, his magical signal flared up to a level that matched, if not overpowered, Wyatts."

"What!" Piper gasped. "But Wyatt's the twice-blessed..."

"Which just begs the question of who exactly Chris is," Leo said. "But unfortunately we won't know that until Chris is..."

"An adult again," Piper cut in. "Which he won't be until we see what we need to trust him."

They settled on benches, both pondering the mysterious whitelighter from the future.

"He was pretty beat up," Leo murmured.

"Yeah," Piper responded sadly. "Poor little guy. No child deserves that kind of treatment, I don't care what they've done."

"And with magic that strong, he must have pretty powerful parents," Leo continued. "Powerful and _magical. _So why don't they want their son to use magic?"

"He said his brother didn't want him to use magic," Piper pointed out. "Jealousy maybe?"

"It's possible. But obviously the parents didn't support him either, otherwise he wouldn't be so paranoid. No child is _that_ afraid of their big brother."

"If we ever do find out who Chris' parents are, we're going to have to give them a solid kick in the ass before they treat their child like that," Piper said, eyes shining.

"Amen to that."

The two shared a look they had shared many times over the years, but which felt somewhat forbidden now. A gaze which revealed all that they felt for each other. Friendship. Fellowship. Trust. Love.

The fact that they could still share a look like that at all was a testament to the feelings they still held for each other.

* * *

A week.

That was how long it had been since the Harpy attack. Since then, nothing out of the ordinary had happened. There had been no demon attacks, no sudden, unexplainable disappearances, not even an innocent they had to save. Nothing.

Frankly, it was unnerving.

At least that was what Paige thought as she orbed in from her temp job-which had been surprisingly uneventful. After all, the Halliwell witches had learned long ago not to trust such lapses in demonic activity, especially when there was a known demon on the loose. But nothing had happened.

Which was why it was somewhat of a relief when she found a ball of lightning coming straight at her head from where she had orbed in. She ducked quickly and assessed the situation.

The three Harpy sisters were in the room, identical save for their eyes. One had golden, one had red, and one had eyes that were black. Leo stood in front of Chris, obviously trying to protect him and keep the Harpies away from him. Piper was trying to blow them up, but to no avail, and Phoebe was rubbing the back of her head from where she had hit the wall.

Suddenly, everyone stopped moving, completely. It was sudden and swift, as though some invisible strings had been pulled and everyone was at a standstill. They all stared at each other. It was clear that no one had the upper hand.

Piper couldn't freeze the Harpies, and the Harpies couldn't get a suitable enough hold on the Charmed Ones for long enough to safely abduct Chris without him using his powers, which _were_ strong enough to take effect on them.

Stalemate.

Then, before anyone could blink, Aello had thrown a potion in Chris direction. It landed right in front of Leo's feet and a scent permeated the room. A second later, Chris' eyes rolled in the back of his head and he fell to the floor, unconscious.

Before anyone could react, the Harpy with the red eyes had swept Chris up, and, together, the three disappeared in a swirl of wind and feathers.

The Charmed Ones and Leo stared at each other.

"What...what just happened here?" Piper asked, indicating her mess of a living room and the air which was still permeated with the odor.

"Strawberries," Phoebe said softly.

"Strawberries?" Paige questioned. "Yeah, I guess that it does kind of smell like strawberries. But what does that have to do with anything?"

"No," Phoebe shook her head, waving her hands at the broken vial helplessly. "The potion. Strawberries. Chris is allergic to them, it makes him pass out."

"Which means..." Leo said.

"Whoever is after him knows what his weaknesses are," Piper finished.

* * *

_23 Years in the Future_

_When Chris regained consciousness again he realized he was comfortable. Very comfortable, and warm. He opened his eyes to find himself in a cave-like room in a soft, white bed. Beside him, a man with curly, shoulder length blonde hair, and cerulean blue eyes was staring at him. _

_The man was intimidating, standing six-foot and wearing all black. Despite that, he looked vaguely familiar and Chris tried to place him. _

_The situation didn't look good. The last thing he remembered was his father standing in front of him, protecting him from the Harpies, then Aello had thrown a potion...strawberries...then nothing. _

_"I'm sorry about the Harpies, Chris," the man said, giving Chris a tender look. Chris sat up, confused. _

_"Who are you?" he asked in a firm, solid voice. "What's going on?"_

_"It's me Chris," the man said calmly. "It's Wyatt." _


	6. Chapter Six

**Mistake**

**Chapter Six

* * *

**

_23 years in the future_

_Chris was asleep. The effects of his allergic reaction would take another few hours to where off, and he had succumbed to the darkness once again after Wyatt's surprising introduction. _

_After leaving Bianca to guard the young boy, Wyatt had retired to his lair. _

_Yes, Wyatt had the foresight to have kept Bianca alive. In all truth, he had not wanted to cause his brother any undue grief in regards to his fiance's death. He had fully intended to alert the boy to his fiance's continued existence when Chris had returned to the future, come to his senses, and agreed to join him. _

_Bianca had proven difficult after her betrayal, weary of trusting the man who had put up such a show of trying to kill his own brother. He had told her in no uncertain terms that he did not require her loyalty, as he had other ways to ensure her obedience. _

_Chris, for example. While Bianca would not let anything happened to her youthful lover, she also could not escape with him. Wyatt had anti-orbing and shimmering spells lacerated across his lodgings, and there was not a chance in hell of anyone, save for his brother, who could break them. And Chris was in no fit state to do so at present. Which made Bianca the perfect watch-dog. _

_Wyatt paced in his underground lair. The pieces had all been set in motion. His brother was confused. It would take little urging to convince the young boy that Wyatt had to work with demons for the betterment of the world. As long as he could keep the boy isolated until that point, away from outside influences. _

_Wyatt suddenly sensed another demon in the room with him and spun around sneeringly to face his Watcher. _

_"What is it?" he snapped impatiently. _

_"The resistance is aware of the boy's presence m'lord," the Watcher answered. Wyatt cursed. That would seriously complicate his plans if they attempted any type of "rescue" mission. _

_"Are they aware of his current state?" Wyatt questioned, referring to his brothers recent bout of youthfulness. _

_"Not to my knowledge m'lord," the demon answered._

_"You had best find out," Wyatt said before dismissing the demon with a wave of his hand. _

_The Resistance was an annoyance, but it could be easily handled. There were larger complications...such as the Charmed Ones. If he knew his aunts and mother, he knew that they wouldn't let an innocent seven year old remain with demons, no matter what time he was in. _

_Hopefully the Harpies could make sure that they did not become a problem.

* * *

_

Prue was driving her crazy.

Piper was currently settled on the couch in the conservatory with Wyatt nestled on her lap, the book on her leg, and Prue ranting and raving nonstop in her abused ear.

The Guardian, of course, had sensed the minute her charge had left the time dimension, and, unable to follow, she feared the worst.

Phoebe sat across from her, eyes narrowed in thought, blocking out Prue's voice. Piper envied her that ability.

Phoebe was writing a spell, but, unfortunately, and much to Prue's disdain, not for Chris' benefit. As much as they were all concerned for the Whitelighter's safety, he was not, at the moment, their top priority.

The Harpies were causing mayhem in San Francisco. They were preying on the supposed 'evil doer'. So far, four petty thieves, two common muggers, and one thirteen year old bully had been found dead.

"Don't you see?" Prue said angrily. "You are being distracted. The Harpies are only a distraction while_ he_ does God Knows What to Chris?"

This seemed to snap Phoebe out of her apparent trance. "While who does what to Chris?"

"It's not my place to say," Prue responded, extremely despondent.

Piper snorted. "It's a little too late to claim you're not involved, don't you think?" She stood up, placed Wyatt in his playpen and turned to regard Prue. "Distraction or not, the Harpies are killing relatively innocent people. They need to be stopped. We will worry about Chris immediately after."

Prue just shook her head. "It may be too late by then. Concentrate on Chris now. The Harpies can't do too much damage in the past or it could ruin their future."

Piper stared at her deceased sister, shocked. Phoebe shook her head, sighed, and blocked out the escalating argument in the room. "You would have us abandon innocents? For the sake of one boy we know nothing about?"

Prue was irate. "If you would just look past your stubbornness and see what was right in front of you we wouldn't be in this mess. Chris has done nothing but help your family and in your refusal to trust him, you could very well have condemned him to death."

Piper looked at her sister sharply, paling dramatically. "Condemned him to death?" she asked in a whisper.

"If who I think has Chris does, then yes, he may kill him," Prue answered sadly. "And if Chris is dead then there will be no one left to protect Wyatt. Is that what you want?"

Piper's eyes glazed over slightly and Prue took pity on her sister. "If you can do nothing else, trust that Chris came back with good intentions, even if he can't tell you what they are." She looked Piper in the eye.

"He's a good man Piper," she said. "He's lived a hard life, even from an early age, but he's never given into evil. He's extraordinarily powerful, but he's never been corrupted by that power, and he's been given plenty of opportunities to do so. I know this family Piper. I know that you must be suspicious by nature in order to survive. I understand that you keep the doors to your heart and home tightly shut. But take this, as my word as your sister, that Chris is not a threat to you. Opening up and trusting him will not be your downfall. But Piper, not trusting him could cost you your son."

The room flashed and the Guardian disappeared, abandoning Piper to her turbulent thoughts.

* * *

_23 years in the future_

_Wyatt hurried to his brother's room. Bianca had sent him an urgent summons via messenger demon. His brother had awoken. And the seven-year-old was not pleased._

_He stormed into the room carelessly and then his step faltered as he surveyed the scene of destruction before him. The bunk was splayed on its side, the sheets which had covered it lay in tangled disarray across the room. The lamp, which he had allowed for light, knowing his brother's fear of the dark, had been thrown against t;he wall, and the shattered glass had spread across the floor. The only light came from Chris' hand as he held an energy ball while simultaneously using his telekinesisto keep his Phoenix guard pinned against the wall. _

_Despite the sake of things, Wyatt felt a wry smile tug at his lips. The boy's powers were far more formidable than he had previously believed. Chris would be a powerful ally. _

_"Christopher," Wyatt said sternly, face melting back into a model of impassivity. "Release her immediately."_

_"Who are you?" the child demanded, voice wavering almost imperceptible. _

_"I've already told you who I am," Wyatt snapped back with a touch of impatience, and watched in satisfaction as Chris shrank back but did not relinquish his hold on the Phoenix or the energy ball. "Or perhaps you've forgotten," Wyatt allowed, almost gently._

_"You're not Wyatt," Chris said with assured clarity. "My brother does not consort with demons or live in the Underworld." _

_Wyatt sighed. He had forgotten how stubborn his brother could be. He waved his hand and Chris was forced back a few paces, losing his hold on bianca and his concentration as his energy ball abruptly blinked out of existence, casting the room in momentary darkness._

_Wyatt immediately put up his shield, illuminating the room. He did this both to ease Chris' fears of the dark and show that he possessed the Wiccan powers of Wyatt Matthew Halliwell._

_Chris looked confused and still frightened. Bianca had picked herself up and was monitoring the wielder of Excalibur with a weary gaze. Wyatt ignored her and focused on Chris. _

_"What did I tell you about using magic Christopher?" He demanded with false anger knowing it was what Chris expected to hear from his protective older brother after such a display._

_He looked at the younger Halliwell expectantly, awaiting the boy's response. "Well?" he growled softly, almost threateningly as he had when a child._

_Chris seemed to recognize that this was, in fact, his brother at his tone. The seven-year-old looked down, ashamed of himself, scoffing his feet on the floor. "That it only gets me into trouble," he admitted softly. _

_"Exactly,"Wyatt nodded. "So don't use it unless I tell you too ok? I know best." _

_It was an old game he played with his brother now. Fearing his brother's powers and recognizing the threat which resided within him, Wyatt had relied on Chris' natural dependency on him to control him. He preyed on that dependency now and felt a wave of relief pass through him at Chris' quick agreement. _

_It would make him easier to control.

* * *

_

Leo tracked the Harpy sisters as stealthily as was possible. He had been doing so ever since they had murdered the thirteen-year-old bully. So far, they hadn't made any more attempts on human evil doers and were flying almost lazily above the San Francisco Bay, higher up than any mortals could see, thankfully.

Truthfully, there was precious little he could do should the Harpies choose to attack, save for fetching the sisters to fight them off, best they could. Right now he was banking on the sister's completing their spell and potion.

Although they knew that they couldn't destroy the Harpies, the fact that the present times Harpies were currently caged up, revealed that they could contain them, which was what the spell and potion were for.

They also hoped that capturing the Harpies would lead them to Chris' location. They still didn't know who were leading the Harpies, or why they were after Chris.

Thinking of Chris pulled at the strings of Leo's heart. It was true that the twenty-three-year-old version of Chris tended to get on Leo's nerves with his secrecy, constant planning and plotting, and, of course, his overly neurotic attitude. But the seven-year-old version of his wife's whitelighter was none of those. He was a beaten child, eyes heavy with age though small in body, and an innocence and vulnerability which just begged for trust.

To imagine Chris now, trapped by some sadistic demon for purposes unknown, made Leo red with anger and worry. No child should have to endure what Chris had already endured, never mind being kidnapped by some modern day Bosch incarnation.

He recognized the Harpies as a distraction, albeit one that _had _to be stopped, and felt his anger turn up a notch. Why did whoever had Chris, want him? He knew the boy was extremely powerful, but why, when the Harpies had the obvious advantage, did they nab Chris, when Wyatt lay in relatively less protection nearby? Surely Chris couldn't be more powerful than Wyatt?

He pushed that thought quickly out of his head as unlikely. There must be another reason. Perhaps the demon who had him planned to use him as emotional blackmail on the sisters? But then, Wyatt would work even better in that respect. Besides, the Harpies were from the future, so their employer must be from the future as well.

Perhaps the one the Harpies worked for had a grudge with Chris? Chris had told him that the time he lived in was practically overrun with demons and that he and a few others often fought them off. Maybe Chris had done this one some sort of harm?

But how had the demon known that this would be the perfect opportunity to attack? When Chris was at his most vulnerable, and the sisters were unable to know what kind of threats they would face?

Leo just shook his head as he followed the Harpies down to the Underworld and hoped to get some answers.

He would never let _his_ son face the horrors that Chris had.

* * *

_23 years in the future_

_Wyatt observed his brother carefully. As Bianca could obviously not monitor the boy effectively, the Demon Lord had brought Chris along on his daily rounds._

_Up to this point it had been the standard routine. He had signed off on various projects in the mortal world, though he did not elaborate on what these projects entailed to Chris. He was painfully aware at how much Chris could take in one sitting, and knew it was not the time to expose his brother fully to Wyatt's lifestyle. The time would come soon enough._

_The demons who had seen Chris today, most of whom were in human form, had blanched and gone about their business much quicker than usual. Chris, unknowingly, was powerful at motivating fear amongst demons._

_None of the demons had been told of Chris' presence, but as the Resistance was somehow already aware of the fact, there was little harm in showing Chris a small part of the world that was now Wyatt's. _

_His demons had almost instinctively known how Chris was. The witch had given the Underworld a fair share of trouble before his rendezvous into the past, and had gained somewhat of a reputation. Now, seeing a child in Wyatt's presence, and recognizing the power which emanated from him, easily realized who the boy was. _

_Chris was dressed in a black shirt and nice black dress pants, which fitted him nicely and made him somewhat imposing. More importantly, he matched Wyatt, and that showed the visiting demons exactly to whom the boy payed his allegiance. _

_Bianca was situated across the main hall, watching Chris intently. Chris was aware of her staring and kept shifting uncomfortably. Wyatt left the two to it. _

_The Phoenix Witch was dressed in her usual assassin's outfit and had her hair held tightly back. Still, as dangerous as she looked, she seemed to cause Chris no little fascination. He seemed drawn to her somehow, and the assassin let that thought fill her with warmth. Even as a child, her lover recognized his feelings, even if he didn't exactly know what they meant._

_Though Wyatt didn't know it, it was she who had informed the Resistance of Chris' presence, using a telepathic link she shared with one of the leaders. Chris had taught her this technique before he had left for the past, and Wyatt knew nothing of it. _

_The Resistance was forming a plan of attack to distract Wyatt long enough to get Chris out of his presence, but the rest would be up to her. She would be responsible for getting the boy to safety and to Resistance headquarters. Which meant she had to gain the boy's trust. _

_And that, noting the child's loyalty to his older brother, would be much more difficult than it sounded. _


End file.
